


The Swear Jar

by Owlwithafringe



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Steve trolling the shit out of everyone, Swear jar, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-04-01 00:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3999160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlwithafringe/pseuds/Owlwithafringe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternative title: That time everybody thought Steve was actually an old man, so he took advantage of the situation by implementing a Swear Jar to con the Avengers out of their money.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Swear Jar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [greenbergsays](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenbergsays/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Swear Jar](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3925000) by [greenbergsays](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenbergsays/pseuds/greenbergsays). 



> Based on Greenbergsays's headcanon about Steve's line about 'language' in Age of Ultron.

The first time it happened, everybody was gathered in the lounge of Avengers Tower for Movie Night (with capital letters because that's apparently how big a deal it is around the Tower). Clint and Sam were arguing over whose choice of film it was, Clint wanting something called 'Mean Girls' and Sam arguing for 'Titanic'. Steve found it mildly disturbing that someone would want to make a film about such an awful tragedy but he'd recently caught up with all the war films from the last half century, which most of were terribly inaccurate, so it didn't really surprise him.

"Sam, Sam, Sam, Mean Girls is a fucking classic," Barton countered whatever argument Sam had made, "Besides Cap needs to be educate-." 

He never got to finish his sentence though due the fact a glass jar collided with his head, effectively halting whatever he was going to say next. Clint rubbed his head whilst Nat smirked next to him. "Ow."

Tony reached over and to inspect the jar. It was a simple jar, probably an old jam jar or something, with a white sticker on it clearly labeling it _Swear Jar_. 

"Ha ha," He drawled, chucking the jar back to Clint who was actually ready to catch it this time. "Capsicle made a funny." 

Steve folded his arms and give them his patent 'Captain-America-is-disappointed-in-you-son' look, narrowed eyes and thin lips and all. 

"You're not fucking serious Cap?" 

Steve nodded at the jar and shrugged. "Now you owe it $2."

The stunned silence was quickly followed by teasing and then quiet as the movie started (Clint got his way, and so Steve was introduced to the wonder that was 'Mean Girls' and suddenly felt like he understood so much more of the modern world (not really) but he finally understood half of the references that Clint made) but Clint payed the $2 he owed and no-one outright banned the Swear Jar, so it stayed, always appearing conveniently under someone's nose a stray curse word slipped out.

Then Bucky reappeared into his life and disappeared almost as fast he'd arrived, and then the whole deal with Ultron and the training of the New Avengers started, and for a while it was just forgotten about.

 

*****

 

Then Steve finally found Bucky and persuaded him to come back to New York with him, the whole 'Swear Jar' idea was put on hold whilst Steve focused on getting Bucky better.

It takes a while, and sometimes Bucky relapsed but things like that never came easy and decades of mind wiping and brain washing tends to leave long lasting effects, not to mention the guilt that Bucky then had to deal with when the conditioning had been broken.

Bucky would never be the same guy he had been before the war, but that was ok. Steve wasn’t the same either.

Eventually Bucky managed to leave SHIELD HQ, taking baby steps. He stayed in an apartment in Brooklyn with Steve for a while. Then they went to go and live with Sam for a while in his apartment, an experiment to see how Bucky could cope around people other than Steve. When that succeeds, they move into Avengers Tower. At first Bucky clammed up, unresponsive and suspicious of everything and everyone, but as time went on he began to relax and even started to build friendships with his new housemates.

Interacting with others was part of his recovery, and whilst Bucky didn’t think he’d ever properly trust the others the same way he trusted Steve, these fragile friendships did help him heal, mind and body. They helped his confidence build, and within months of living there he was certified, ‘fit for duty’. He didn’t go back to work, not straight away anyway but he was better. Not completely the old Bucky, but instead a patchwork of personalities, a mixture of old and this new person he’d become.

Lucky for him, one of the things he had kept was his sense of humour.

 

*****

 

Everybody was hanging out in Tony’s work room. Not out of choice but rather out of caution: Bucky was having some maintenance done on his arm and out of precaution that something might trigger something in Bucky that would turn him into ‘Winter Soldier mode’ it was easier to have all the Avengers around to control the situation. Except Sam. Sam had already had his ass handed to him by the Winter Solder and wasn't in any rush to do it again, so he was mostly there for moral support.

As Tony fiddled with some wiring in Bucky's arm some circuitry sparked, catching one of Tony's hands and causing him to drop a spanner on his foot. "Son of a bitch!"

Silently, Steve slid a jar half filled with coins across the lab worktop towards Tony. There was a jar in Tony's lab specifically for him, as out of everyone he lacked the discipline the others had to control their words and was unfortunate enough to be the one that swore the most. Luckily he was also the richest one out of them all, so he didn't complain too much about being out of pocket change too often. 

All of this happened as Bucky watched on, half wondering if he'd actually gone all 'Winter Soldier' and this was all just a strange dream he was having as a result of the tranquilizers used to detain him.

"Stevie, what the fuck are you doing?"

Clint looked up from his perch on one of the empty tables where he was fiddling with some arrows. "Cap, Bucky said a no-no word."

Steve glanced between them and raised an eyebrow, which to anyone who didn't know Steve as well as Bucky did, it would look like he was trying to be stern. And rather failing in Bucky's opinion. "Bucky's exempt."

But apparently not in Clint's opinion since he shut up and went back to fiddling with his arrows, muttering about the 'Cap's no good boyfriend'. 

"How come Brain-freeze can swear but we can't?" Tony protested.

Steve gave Tony a scathing look which would have been quite convincing had Bucky not have noticed the twitching at the corner of his lips, tiny and barely there but enough for Bucky to realise Steve was trying to hold back a laugh that was trying to escape. Literally, what the fuck was going on?

"You didn't serve and give your life to the war which preserved your right to even ask me that question." Steve replied, which apparently was enough to halt to the conversation, much to Bucky's bewilderment.

As everyone settled back down to let Tony concentrate on repair work on Bucky's arm, Bucky gave Steve a look, hoping to convey the complete and utter confusion he was experiencing. Steve gave him a nod that promised that he would explain soon. He damn well better before he got a headache from all this shit.

 

*****

 

It's not until the rest of the Avengers are out doing their own thing (apparently they have jobs outside of the Avengers - with the hanging around they do at the Tower it came as quite a surprise to Bucky) that Bucky finally managed to catch Steve alone to ask him what the hell was going on.

"I let it slip okay? Just once.. but we were on a mission Buck. There's a certain professionalism that has to come with official missions. Anybody could have been listening in! But now they think they've got me all figured out. They think Captain America and Steve Rogers are the same person."

"So they think that just because Captain America is the embodiment of American patriotism and ideals, you don't swear?" Bucky asked slowly, just to check he was getting it right. Because Steve couldn't be serious. These people couldn't have lived with Steve this long and not figured it out.

"Don't forget that I don't lie either, or that i'm probably a bigot since i'm from the 'olden days', or better yet, that i'm a virgin." Steve replied with an ever growing grin.

"They think you're a virgin?" Bucky sniggered, thinking back to before the war. Hell, he had lovebites on his chest right now that very much proved otherwise.

"Yeah, well." Steve smirked, that mischievous look in his eyes that Bucky remembered, out of all the things he did. "They assume too much. And for that, the least they could do it buy me a new motorbike."

And just like that, the world made sense again. _That_ , is the Stevie he remembers (sort of) and loves (without a doubt).

 

*****

 

It's some months later when the Avengers are eating lunch together, some sort of new age, modern shit that didn't exist back when Bucky was a kid, in the communal lounge that JARVIS announces there has been a delivery for Mr Rogers in the Tower's garage. The rest of the Avenger's interests were peaked, sneaking curious glances at Steve probably wondering what he'd ordered. Other than some art things, he'd never really bought anything for himself and Bucky knew they were all desperate to get some new dirt on their 'mysterious' team mate.

It honestly isn't until Steve visibly brightens that Bucky remembers. For a moment, he wonders if Steve really went ahead with the whole plan, if he didn't just donate all the money from the swear jar to some charity that saves kittens from trees or something.

Who was he kidding? Of course the little shit went ahead with it.

Bucky's already shaking with silent laughter when Steve abandons his bowel of whatever shit the Avengers were testing on them today, and vaults of the couch with a huge, if not slightly smug, grin on his face and announces, "Fuck yeah, that'll be my new bike."

The look on everyone's face after Steve curses though, paused mid motion with forks hanging out their mouths or cups paused mid-drink is what truly made him lose it. As Steve disappears into the elevator, Bucky is left with the gormless faces of what has become his teammates. The shocked look on their faces, even the unfazable Natalia, is enough to unleash the tide of laughter. He can't imagine what he looks like; A super soldier assassin, falling off the couch with tears running down his face, ribs seizing up and aching and holy crap he’s gonna piss himself if he didn't get these giggles under control.

"Congratulations you stupid fuckers," Bucky manages to say through the tears of hysterical laughter, "You all just bought Steve a new motorbike."

And just when he thought he had it under control, it’s Tony’s mildly horrified voice that pipes up somewhere beside Bucky asking, “Did we just get conned by Captain America?” that sets him off again.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave kudos and comments, feedback is always appreciated and motivates me to write more! Come and find me on Tumblr at **[jimkivk](http://jimkivk.tumblr.com/)** , or if you're a book fan, come and find my book blog, **[williamherxndale](http://williamherxndale.tumblr.com/)**. (◡‿◡✿)


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